


L is for Loser

by AmberLehcar



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: AU, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-24
Updated: 2013-05-24
Packaged: 2017-12-12 20:52:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/815935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberLehcar/pseuds/AmberLehcar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"When you were three, I was just four. You were the cute little girl next door." AU SoulXMaka. Based on the song "L is for Loser".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ribbons and Braids

His bare feet padded on the sidewalk as he ran to a gray house down the street. The little girl who lived there had moved in just weeks ago. Soul had befriended the pig-tailed girl immediately. Maka was three, and Soul was four. Running to each other's house every day had become routine.

Maka sat on the front porch, waiting for him. "Mama! I'm going to Soul's house, 'kay?" she called into the house. No answer. The little girl took her friend's hand and started walking down the street. "Mama and Papa are fighting again," she muttered. "I don't like it when they fight…"

Soul took the lead. "Don't worry! Forget about them right now! You're with a cool guy like me!" he said, smiling back to her. Suddenly, a low growl stopped them dead in their tracks. The neighbor's gigantic German shepherd emerged from his doghouse. Maka hid behind the boy, shaking with fear. Soul spotted a stick lying nearby and grabbed it. Then, he stood between Maka and the dog. "I'll protect you, Princess!" he called out. She'd always wanted to play a princess and make Soul her knight in shining armor. But he'd always make her play Cowboys and Indians with him.

Soul and the dog became locked in a staring contest, both growling at each other. A few minutes later, the dog lunged at the two and started barking, only held back by the chain attaching him to the doghouse. Soul took Maka's hand and ran a fast as his little legs could carry him.

"You're supposed to fight the dragon!" she complained, following closely behind. They reached Soul's house to find his older brother, Wes, sitting on the porch swing. He watched as Soul threw away the stick, let go of Maka's hand, and blushed simultaneously.

"Having fun, Sir Soul?" Wes asked, winking to his brother. Soul glared at him. The older boy turned to Maka and reached out a hand. "I trust he's treating you well, Princess." The girl blushed and took his hand. He then placed a kiss on her hand and walked into the house.

Maka held her tiny hand to her heart. "I really like Wes…" she whispered. Soul heard her and glared at his feet as he kicked some dirt. The girl saw how upset her comment had made him and walked over to him. "But I like you best," she said, kissing his cheek.

Soul rubbed his face, trying to wipe away the kiss. "Ew! Not cool, Loser!" he yelled, chasing after her. She squealed and ran around the yard to avoid the boy. He finally caught her and a tickle fight began.


	2. Wings in Tatters

"What's with the bags?" Soul asked Maka. She looked like a pack mule while carrying all her belongings in luggage bags.

"Remember the fights? Papa gets custody of me. Whoopee!" she explained sarcastically. She scowled as her father cheerfully packed items in his car. "So, yeah, moving away. Gonna miss me, Loser?"

"Gonna keep in touch?" Soul asked.

"'Course! Stay out of trouble. I won't be around to save your sorry butt."

"I'm making no promises," he replied with a smirk. "So… uh… now we…"

"Yeah… How to say goodbye?" Maka finished, fidgeting with her hands. "Would… Nah, I guess a handshake would do-"

She was cut off as Soul pulled her into a hug. "This is so lame… but you wanted a hug, right?" he whispered.

"Hey! Get your hands off my daughter, creep!" Spirit called. "Maka, let's get going!"

Her mother, Kami, walked out to tell Maka goodbye. "Come back often, 'kay? Otherwise, a very bored Soul will come over every day with no one to visit," she told her daughter, winking to Soul. The boy tried to hide his blush.

Maka gave one last sad glance to her home then turned to leave. Soul reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Hey… don't… don't change while out there, 'kay?"

"That's not what you wanted to say, was it? No, I won't forget you. I promise to visit," she said sadly. "So… goodbye…" She forcefully took back her arm and ran to the car, hoping the tears wouldn't fall.

"You gonna be all right, Hun?" Kami asked Soul as the car pulled away. "First Maka's leaving, and then Wes is graduating…"

"I'm fine," he denied. "Who cares about Wes? And I don't need a girl hanging around all the time!" The lonely Soul ran home before hearing Kami's response.

…

Soul sat in the principal's office, waiting for his mother to arrive. Eight years of his life he'd been a model son, trying to compete with Wes. But this year, he could have cared less about his studies. Maka hadn't had much time to visit, but she'd asked him to play a song on the piano for her. He'd flubbed… terribly.

His mother entered the room and calmly took a seat next to her son. She'd been through this multiple times. "What has he done this time?" she asked the principal with a sigh.

"He's been cutting class to play the pianos in the practice rooms near the band room… again," the principal explained. "Today, when a teacher tried to stop him in the hallway, he bit her. And he placed a tack on my chair when I'd left him in my office for a moment." Soul snickered softly at this, but both adults caught him and glared at him.

…

Soul sat in the back seat of the car, glaring out the window with his arms crossed. His mother hadn't said anything to him yet. The silence was unsettling. "Soul, why?" she finally asked. "Is this about Maka or Wes? Help me understand." She didn't ask with concern. She was tired of her son's behavior.

"I want more time to practice piano," he answered angrily. "Let the talentless kids struggle through school. I have something that I can do for a living, and I don't need stuck-up teachers to tell me how to live my life." Bothe sat silently for the remainder of the drive. He'd really wanted to practice more so he could play better for Maka. But he wasn't about to admit that.

Once home, Soul ran straight to the mailbox to find a letter from Maka waiting. He raced to his room, letter in hand. He had a hard time denying he missed her. He just couldn't understand why he missed her so much. He tore open the letter and hungrily took in every word written in the cursive she'd been taught by her mother.

"Dear Soul,

School's boring, but that's to be expected. I made a new friend here. His name's Black Star. He's kinda weird, but he's nice enough. You're probably laughing at me for not making friends right away, but you make friends at an even slower pace than me, Loser, so don't forget it! Don't beat yourself up about the piano thing. I know it'll be perfect next time! Miss you!

~Maka"


	3. Pimples and Braces

Soul woke to the sound of Wes making breakfast. That year, the fighting between 14 year old Soul and his parents had become too much, and he moved in with his brother.

After Maka constantly nagging at him in her letters, Soul had finally gotten better grades. Sure, he wasn't a Straight-A student, but at least he was trying. He'd also finished writing a song for her. He couldn't understand why he did all these things for her. Maybe someday he'd figure it out…

He looked out the window to the skyline sadly. Remembering Maka's face when she left made him feel like he was slowly breaking apart inside. Her letters broke him even more. She wasn't one to adjust easily to change, but at least this Black Star guy was helping her out. Soul felt a twinge of jealousy. Why could this new guy see her every day and not him? She was picked on often for being the brightest in her class and teacher's pet. Once upon a time, she'd beat the crap out of anyone who picked on her. Soul snickered at the memory. But those days were gone, and she took every insult they could throw at her. He silently hoped she'd fight back at least once… show them what he knew: she was no pushover.

After eating breakfast that morning, the boy checked the mailbox as he always did. There lay a letter from Maka that made his eyes light up. He didn't even wait to enter the house to tear open her letter. Maka explained that her friendship with Black Star had become something… friendlier. But it ended with "disasteriffic results". He badmouthed her behind her back and helped pull pranks on her. Not only that, but her father had insisted that she never see Soul again. His reasoning was that the boy was a bad influence on his innocent daughter. The only thing that had gotten her through each day was knowing she'd be able to see him again. But after her father's news… she was slowly giving up… She reassured him that she wouldn't rely on self-mutilation, suicide, or anything of the same nature. But she needed him to write back often… needed him to keep her going…

He'd gladly do anything for her. She made it sound like writing letters to her was an inconvenience to him. Hardly. He'd walk the earth and back again just for her. This thought took him slightly aback. Why would he do all these things for her? Could it be… because he'd fallen for Maka Albarn?


	4. Sweetest of Dreams

"~'L is for loser' she said. 'What were you thinking? What's going on inside your head?'~"

Soul sleepily reached for his cellphone, wishing he'd picked a different ringtone. The alarm clock glared a red 2:00 am at him as he literally rolled out of bed with a crash he hoped Wes wouldn't hear. Answering the phone, Soul yawned out a "Hello?"

"Soul?" a timid voice replied.

"Maka?" he asked in disbelief, sitting up instantly.

"Soul!" Maka exclaimed happily. "I wasn't sure if it was the right number because it was stuck randomly in my address book."

"Maka, why are you calling so late? Are you okay? Where are you? I'll come get you!" He said everything out of pure concern for her safety rather than eagerness to see her again despite the two years of no contact.

"Papa doesn't know where I am..."

"What? Are you lost or something? Were you kidnapped?"

"No! I... I ran away from home, Soul... I know Mama moved away from Death City a year ago, but Death City is closer to where I lived, so... I'm here in town at the train station."

"What? You're seriously here in Death City?" he exclaimed, now on his feet.

"Yeah... Soul... can I stay with you...?"

She was really home and asking to stay with him. Of course he couldn't turn her down. "Yeah, hang tight, I'll be there in a bit!"

…

The girl at the train station couldn't have possibly been Maka. The girl before Soul had multiple ear piercings, a black leather jacket, and the shortest skirt the boy had ever seen. But when she said his name, he couldn't help but picture the little girl he'd known so long ago.

"You... You've changed..." he said upon his arrival.

"Well, so did you..." she said shyly, suddenly aware of the length of her skirt.

He was pleased to see that she really hadn't changed much. Just in appearance. He also noted that he was now taller than her. It had always bugged him that she'd been taller than him when she'd lived in Death City. "Come on," he said, motioning for her to follow him. "Let's go home."

One uncomfortably silent walk to Wes' home later, the pair entered the house as quietly as possible so as to not wake the owner. "Get any sleep on the way over here?" Soul whispered to Maka.

Cracking her back, she replied, "The seats on the train weren't exactly comfortable..."

"Kay, then you get my bed."

"What? No, it's your bed, so you get it."

"No, you're the guest, you get the bed."

"But it's your bed. So you get it."

This continued for a few minutes until Maka finally said, "Fine, I'll take the bed if you do too." Her defiant stance with her arms crossed in front of her chest told Soul that he couldn't win this argument. So instead, he picked her up, slung her over his shoulder, and took her to his room to set her on the bed.

Before she could question him, he turned to his dresser and flung a baggy T-shirt over his head to hit her square in the face. Yanking the clothing from her face, she saw him leaving. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Just get changed into that. It can be pajamas..." he said as he closed the door. A few minutes later, he reentered and crawled into bed, rolling over so his back was to Maka. "Night..."

"Um... Soul...?" Maka began. "I... really haven't changed at all..."

"Uh huh... Night..."

"I mean it... And you haven't changed either..." She fiddled with her hands as she laid herself down next to him. Staring up at the ceiling, she continued, "I haven't changed, you haven't changed, things between us haven't changed..." She paused briefly, waiting for his response. He didn't reply, but she could tell he was still listening. "But... I want things to change... I don't want to be that little girl that lived down the street from you... I want... I want to be a part of your life..."

Now confused, he turned to her and said, "You are a part of my life, stupid."

"No, I mean, I want..." She sighed in defeat. "I don't know what I want... And it's selfish anyway..."

"It's okay to be selfish sometimes," he reassured her.

"I guess... If I had to sum it up... if I had to say what I want... it'd be you... It's always been you..."

Suddenly, Soul pulled her head down to have it lay on his chest. Before she could respond, he said, "I was supposed to say it before you, you know? Jeez..." Blushing, she opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her. "Just go to sleep, Loser..." So she did as she was told.

…

"Soul, breakfast!" Wes announced, throwing open the door to Soul's room. There he discovered Soul and Maka fast asleep, holding each other tightly. The older brother smiled and left, pulling the door closed behind him. "Sweet dreams..." he whispered.


End file.
